Florida

New Portable Classrooms Unveiled at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS Ahead of School Year

What to Know

  • Officials unveiled 34 new portables that have been placed on campus for the upcoming year, created to take the place of the 1200 building.
  • 28 of the units will be used for classes while the rest will house bathrooms, administration and areas for counseling services.

Ahead of the start of the new school year next week, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is preparing for more security – and new classroom locations in the wake of the horrific mass shooting almost six months ago.

Officials unveiled 34 new portables that have been placed on campus for the upcoming year, created to take the place of the 1200 building where 17 people were killed during the February 14th shooting inside the Parkland school.

28 of the units will be used for classes while the rest will house bathrooms, administration and areas for counseling services. The building the portables replace will eventually be torn down and replaced by a new one.

Officials had previously announced additional security measures put in place for the upcoming year – including additional security cameras, school ID badges, fences and gates as well as additional resource officers on campus.

Students will not have to use see-through backpacks during the upcoming year.

Metal detectors will not be installed for the start of classes at a Florida high school where 17 students and faculty were slain on Feb. 14 as Superintendent Robert Runcie sent a letter Friday to parents informing them that plans for the metal detectors were on hold while officials figure out how to get over 3,200 students through them each morning.

"As we continue our due diligence to implement the program - consulting with vendors and experts and reviewing turnkey solutions - many issues have been raised that require the District to pause and have a more thoughtful discussion on policy and procedural aspects of this pilot," Runcie wrote.

Classroom doors throughout the school will remain locked from the outside at all times, while Runcie said the school has hired a new employee whose "sole responsibility will be to monitor the camera system and alert appropriate individuals of suspicious activity."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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